I am a new grad RN and just passed my NCLEX in August and have been looking for a job ever since. I was lucky enough to actually get 2 job offers in the same week. One was a RN state job at a psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas, where I have been living for the past few months. The second was an RN job at a laser hair removal center in LA. I accepted the laser job because it paid $10 an hour more than the psych facility. So I just moved to LA with my family and started the new job but it's been a difficult transition.
After my first week in, I'm wondering if I made the right decision. This laser place seems more like a beauty place than a medical place and I wonder how much of my nursing skills I will be using here. I also am having a difficult time adjusting to LA. Maybe I need to give it more of a chance.
This laser place seems like an easy job compared to the hospital, but I can't help but feel like I could be doing something more meaningful with my nursing degree than doing bikini line hair removal for housewives of Beverly Hills....I feel bad for venting here because I know as a new grad, I should be grateful to even have a job. Maybe I shouldn't be worried about finding the ideal nursing job and just accepting whatever I can get right now, but part of me is wondering if I should contact the psych place in Vegas to see if they are still hiring. It is a lot less money, but I might be getting better experience there. I'm not sure which is more important. The money sure sounded good after being unemployed for so long! I was considering to just stay at the hair removal place and also do an online BSN program in the meantime so I still can feel like I am learning and possibly advancing in my nursing degree. So many different roads to go, just wondering which one is the best!
Does anyone have any input? I'm so stressed out and feeling lost! Is it better to go for more money or somewhere that pays less and will give me better experience? If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear.
Actually I have an update! I ended up quitting at the spa place because I really didn't feel safe with my license with what they were doing at the med spa. The psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas said they will still hire me, so I am going through all the paperwork right now. It's a lot less pay, but I think it will be actual nursing experience and hopefully will be better in the long run. Not all med spas are the same way as the one I was at, but I would definitely do some research before accepting a job. The one I was at had many class action lawsuits from former employees and former customers.
@BNice, I understand how you feel. I think there's so many areas of nursing that we can go into, so our first job might not be our dream job, but perhaps it will open more doors in the future. I am not sure whether the best thing is to stick out a job that we hate for "experience" or to dabble in a couple of different areas before finding our "niche" in nursing. Maybe it would be good to volunteer or shadow someone who does an area that interests us to make sure it's what we want before accepting a job? I'm not sure!
Hopefully the psych hospital will be a better fit for me. We will see! I'm happy that they still have the job available. I love Vegas so much better than LA :)
Hi GypseyGirl, thanks for updating your current status, about quitting the med spa. but I just wanted to ask you, since I am actually looking INTO changing my nursing career into the field of aesthetic nursing!!!
"Not all med spas are the same way as the one I was at, but I would definitely do some research before accepting a job. "
what did you mean by that? I would love to hear from someone who has experience with the aesthetic nursing.
any info or tips would be soo helpful! thanks in advance!
Well I would say that the place I was at did about 90% of the procedures of laser hair removal. It was not as glamorous as what you would think- mostly lasers on butt and bikini area. I guess it might beat emesis basins and bed pans though! I didn't stay long enough to really be able to give too much insight into that industry. But definitely ask around and do some research! Best of luck to you! I'm actually ending up probably going to leave the psych hospital I'm at right now. I was hoping this job would work out better and i've been there about 6 weeks, but the unit is really unsafe and staff keeps getting attacked by patients I was really hoping to find my dream nursing job out of school, but so far haven't been very happy with anything I've found so far. Maybe it takes a few tries to find the right niche!
There's a fine line between finding your niche and being labeled a job hopper. Just saying. You gotta give a place a chance (which, IMO, takes longer than 8 weeks) before you dismiss it. I'm not being a dream killer or anything lol but considering how hard it is to find a job, use caution. There's no such thing as a perfect job.
Believe me- I really don't want to be a job hopper. I have really been trying to give the psych place a chance, and have been trying to learn as much as I can there from my preceptor. I am just so scared though. There are about 20 patients for every nurse due to budget cuts and a lot of them are aggressive and act out on the techs and nurses. One girl was punched a couple of nights ago and sent to the ER. She had to work with that same patient again yesterday who hit her and he was threatening her the whole day. As a new grad, I don't expect my first job to be my dream job, but I don't know if it's worth going to work worrying about getting beat up by patients.
Ugh.....I could never be a psych nurse I sincerely hope it works out for you. I applied to a state facility out of desperation and nothing gave me more relief when I said "I'm sorry, I've accepted a position elsewhere" when they called me back.
Is it better to go for more money or somewhere that pays less and will give me better experience? If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear.
I was really hoping to find my dream nursing job out of school, but so far haven't been very happy with anything I've found so far. Maybe it takes a few tries to find the right niche!
GypseyGirl
39 Posts
Actually I have an update! I ended up quitting at the spa place because I really didn't feel safe with my license with what they were doing at the med spa. The psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas said they will still hire me, so I am going through all the paperwork right now. It's a lot less pay, but I think it will be actual nursing experience and hopefully will be better in the long run. Not all med spas are the same way as the one I was at, but I would definitely do some research before accepting a job. The one I was at had many class action lawsuits from former employees and former customers.
@BNice, I understand how you feel. I think there's so many areas of nursing that we can go into, so our first job might not be our dream job, but perhaps it will open more doors in the future. I am not sure whether the best thing is to stick out a job that we hate for "experience" or to dabble in a couple of different areas before finding our "niche" in nursing. Maybe it would be good to volunteer or shadow someone who does an area that interests us to make sure it's what we want before accepting a job? I'm not sure!
Hopefully the psych hospital will be a better fit for me. We will see! I'm happy that they still have the job available. I love Vegas so much better than LA :)